


See You Again

by thetoristori



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 11:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11274153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetoristori/pseuds/thetoristori
Summary: Jack is on his way to visit his favorite raven haired detective, but he might not have to wait that long.





	1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at fanfiction, EVER. I would love some feedback. If anyone would like to offer to proofread before I posted, that would be amazing. ENJOY!!

 

* * *

 

It’s been three months since Miss Fisher had left for England and Jack was already on a ship bound for Southampton. For the most part, the trip had been smooth sailing. There had only been two nights where the seas were choppy due to a storm. Jack handled himself pretty well considering he hadn’t been on a boat for this long since he returned from the war. The days were starting to become monotonous. He got up, showered, shaved, changed into clothes, ate breakfast, made polite conversation on the deck if the weather was nice, ate lunch, read a book, had dinner, prepared for bed, slept, repeat. However, today was different. The ship had just docked into Damietta, Egypt very early this morning and Jack had plans to do some exploring while he was here.

He thought while he was here, he would send Phryne a telegram updating her on the ship’s status. He sent her a telegram (not to long after she informed him that she had arrived in England) stating the ship and arrival date with an inquiry on whether he should book it or not. He wanted to give her a chance to back out of the statement that she made earlier at the airfield. It thrilled him to see her response, “Since you won’t fly, I suppose boat will do STOP I’ll be there STOP.” She really meant for him to come after her.

Patience was a virtue, but his was wearing thin. Only a couple more weeks and he will be by her side. That is, if she hadn’t gotten arrested in the meantime.

Before he went exploring, he had some breakfast and was just finished dressing when there was a knock on the door. Jack thought maybe it was a ship employee, but he couldn’t think of any reason they would contact him at his room. For the most part, he had kept to himself. He fussing with his shirt collar when he walked to the door and asked “who is it?” There was no answer. He looked through the peep hole, there was no one there. He turned back to his room thinking it was probably just a kid messing around, but then heard the knock again. He turned back and cautiously opened the door, instinctively shielding his body just in case there was something dangerous on the other side.

There was some movement to the right side of the doorframe and instantly someone stood in front of him. There was something dangerous out in the hall after all. 

“Hello, Jack.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glorious reunion with a hiccup

“Miss Fisher! What are you doing here?”

Jack didn’t know how to respond. His mouth was agape as he stood in the doorway, blocking her passage inside. Her crimson lips curled up into smile while her eyes were sparkling back as him.

“Formalities, Jack? You’re not an officer on duty now.” She seemed to purr.

During the War, Jack learned to be ready for anything. He was trained to expect the unexpected, to have quick reflexes and to think five steps ahead. His job as a Detective Inspector had polished those skills. Then in came Phryne Fisher to throw him completely off-balance. He originally thought she was just a bored socialite who decided solving a murder would be a fun excitement for the day and would make for a good story at the next social gathering. He had dealt with those women before, adding their insight without an invitation. Usually he could shoo them away and although they would try to poke their head in once in awhile, they would be gone by the end of the day. The Honorable Phryne Fisher was a different beast altogether. He thought that he would be rid of her once he excused her out of the bathroom on their first meeting. Next thing he knew; he was toasting her as she announced her new vocation as a Lady Detective. Little did he know that she would ingrain herself into his life so much that he would just expect her to magically appear at every case he worked on. His heart would start to flutter more each time he saw her. He would attribute it to his empty stomach grumbling for some food, but subconsciously he knew he was lying to himself. Trying to distance himself from her seemed like the best option, but it didn’t last long because he realized that he didn’t like the person he was without her.

Before he met Phryne Fisher, he was firm, authoritative, and lifeless. Using work as an escape from an unhealthy and failing marriage. Then in comes this firecracker of a human being and his days became brighter. Phryne Fisher reminded him of why he became interested in becoming a Detective Inspector in the first place. Yes, he would see awful things on a day to day basis, but if he did his job right, he was helping people and bringing justice to heartbroken families.

He didn’t want to be without her again. Once she left for England, he realized that a life without Phryne Fisher was not something he cared to live again. This time he was not going to distance himself from her and was going to do just as she asked, and come after her. But again, like usual, she was a few steps ahead of him and decided to come after _him_. Or at least, meet him halfway.

“Jack, what’s the matter? Cat got your tongue.” She smirked.

He realized he hadn’t spoken yet since his first outburst of shock. He snapped out of his reverie and a big grin instantly appeared.

“Phryne. I’ve missed you.” He grabbed her arm, just like he did at the airfield, and pulled her in for a kiss. This time there was no impatient father yelling at them so he took his time and moved his other hand up to caress the back of her neck. Phryne let out a moan as she tried to deepen the kiss and push her way into the room. Jack allowed himself to be moved back and Phryne kicked the door closed with her foot. She placed her hands onto his waist and allowed her fingers to slide into the belt loops of his trousers. Her natural instinct would’ve been to reach for the belt buckle and finally consummate this relationship, but she held back so that Jack could dictate the pace. Her patience was wearing thin, but she could hold off a little longer as long as it included sweet lingering kisses. The kiss was becoming a little more energetic when Jack suddenly pulled back from her, leaving Phryne with smeared lipstick and a befuddled expression on her face.

“Phryne, as amazing as this is, I have a few questions that I can’t push away at the moment.”

Phryne understood. Of course he would have questions. Jack operated logically and pragmatically. He wouldn’t just dive into the deep end without some assurances on her part. So without letting him continue further she answered his unspoken questions.

“Jack, I don’t know what we would call us right now, but I know that I want you.” She stared into his eyes and saw his eyes darken with desire.

“Granted” she continued, “I have wanted you since the first moment I saw you, but that was purely lust driven.” She let a hint of a smile break through.

She always thought he was a handsome man, even before she got to know the man underneath his ever present overcoat. Her eyes suddenly dropped from his as she stared at her hands which at some point instinctively grasped his as she began speaking.

“You should be able to tell by now that I have feelings for you, Jack. Deeper feelings for you then I have ever felt for anyone before. It frightens me, but then I remember that it’s you. I want this. I want us. I don’t know how long it will last, but I think we work well together.” She lifted her eyes to his.

“I _know_ we work well together. And I want my next adventure to be with you by my side. Does that answer your questions?” Her eyes looked into his with hopes that this very nearly declaration of love was enough for him.

Jack smiled. His eyes were tearing up a bit and he felt a lump in his throat. There was a hint of vulnerability in Phryne’s eyes and he knew how much strength it took for her to expose herself like this. He knew how she felt about being tied to one man. And he also knew that he never wanted to tie her down.

“Phryne, I…” He cleared his throat when he heard himself croak a bit from all the emotions going through his body. “Phryne, I feel the same way. I wouldn’t jump on a ship and sail to the other side of the world for just anyone.” She smirked at that. “I want to go on that adventure with you, preferably without any murders, but I know that won’t ever be the case.”

Phryne could not contain the grin on her face. She reached her arms around his neck and whispered “Well, now that that’s settled…” She closed the gap with a kiss. As the kiss grew deeper, she started pushing him towards the bed in the cabin and Jack wasn’t holding her back. The moment was upon them and Phryne could hear her heart beating. This was it. All those months working together, flirting back and forth, denying their attraction to each other had culminated into this final realization that they didn’t want to be apart. They were almost at the bed when, all of a sudden, Jack stopped their progression and pulled away from her lips.

“What’s the matter now?” She was starting to get impatient. She let her arms move from his neck and grab his hands again. Without thinking about it too much, she found she couldn’t stop being connected to him in some way.

“Well, I’m glad we’ve settled that matter, but I wasn’t done with my questions.” He responded.

“Oh? What else do you want to know?”

“When, why and how you got here.”

The when and how were easy, but the why was a much longer explanation. Their glorious reunion may have to take a bit of a turn once she answered him.

“I flew in two days ago and have been staying at a hotel nearby. And although I couldn’t wait to see you again, I had another reason for hastening our reunion.”

Jack took a deep breath. His body subconsciously knew that what he was about to hear was not going to make him jump for joy.

She decided to just get to the point. “A friend of mine is in trouble here in Egypt and I need your help on the case.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently work turned out to be SUPER quiet today so I got more done than I expected. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the encouragement. It looks like this is turning into a case-fic. We'll see how this goes. Won't have anytime this weekend to work on it, but hopefully I'll have the next chapter up early next week.


	3. Chapter 3

Phryne braced for Jack’s reaction. She didn’t expect him to be mad, but she expected him to be agitated to some extent. She did not expect him, however, to have a smile break out and say “I would expect nothing less from you.”

He stepped back, sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, “How can I help?”

Her heart seemed to soar. She was too scared to admit it, but she might just be in love with this man. Of course he would help her on the case. She knew he would, otherwise she wouldn’t have left Cairo in order to make a stop at Damietta to ask him for help. The possibility of a steamy reunion was just an added bonus. She approached the bed and he opened up his legs so she could step in-between. She started playing with the the hair by his ears, he closed his eyes at the sensation. “I’m afraid all my files are back at my hotel room. We are going to have to leave here and head over there.”

Jack looked at her suspiciously, “You have files? You hate paperwork.”

Phryne laughed at that. “Well, it’s not so much files, but scribbled notes on random bits of paper. I don’t have Dot with me so their not well detailed, but I have an excellent memory so I can fill you in on anything I’ve missed.”

He nodded. “Should we head over there now?”

“I’m in no rush.” She answered as she dipped her head down to give him a lingering kiss. Jack slid his hands up her back to bring her closer.

He pulled back for the third time in their very short reunion and she started to get a bit annoyed. This better not become a habit of his. He surprised her again by saying in his deep rich voice, “Well I’m glad of that. We have some catching up to do.”

His voice. How she had forgotten how that voice did things to her. She was almost lightheaded by the statement. Phryne gave him a smile and bent down to kiss him. This time he leaned back onto the bed and pulled her on top of him. FINALLY!

 

* * *

 

 

Jack and Phryne had settled underneath the covers. Phryne stretched up over him and gave him a kiss. She was a bit relieved. Jack turned out to be an excellent lover. Slightly rusty, but very good with communication. By the end, he was playing her body so perfectly, it was astonishing that this was only their first time together. Phryne started to suspect that he may have gotten his hands on the book she had lent to Hugh, _Erotica of the Far East_. She wouldn’t put it past him.

Jack pushed himself up and cradled Phryne in his arms. He didn’t want to break the silence, afraid that he would wake up and this would all be a dream. Instead, she spoke up, “I hate to drag you out of bed, but I think we should start getting you packed up and off of this ship.”

He laid there confused for a second. Why would he have to leave the ship? Then it dawned on him, he had agreed to help her with a case and most likely it would take longer than 24 hours to solve. At that point, the ship would have sailed off. Every hour of every day for weeks he had programmed his brain to think of one thing, he had to get to England. Why did he have to get to England? To see her. His brain needed a moment to process this change of schedule, but once he did he nodded in agreement with her. “Where will I be staying?”

“With me of course!” She said innocently enough.

Jack sighed, “As much as I would like that, we are in a conservative country. I doubt they would approve or even allow a man and woman stay in the same room when they aren’t married.”

“I’ve thought of that.” Phryne replied. “I think the best thing is for you to pose as my husband while we are here. Just for this trip. You’ll have to go as Mr. Fisher here since I’m already booked, but when we check into a hotel in Cairo, we can compromise on a new surname.”

“Cairo? So we aren’t staying here?” Jack asked.

“No. We’ll have to take the train out to Cairo tomorrow morning. Hopefully between tonight and the train ride, you will be all caught up with the case so we can enjoy some extracurricular activities.” She all but purred.

Jack bent his head down and gave her a kiss. Mixing business with pleasure wasn’t something he was accustomed to, but he wasn’t complaining.

Phryne lifted herself out of bed and stood there before him with nothing on and said “Well, let’s get packing. The sooner I can fill you in on the details, the better.”

Jack groaned. “Now you’re in a rush?”

The sight of her standing there was an unbearable torture. He had no motivation to leave this room. She seemed to notice his discomfort and gave him a wicked smile. “There’s a nice sized bath built for two in my hotel suite.”

That did it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've postponed having to deal with the case in this chapter. Hopefully you will still enjoy. Work was busier this week than I expected and I wanted to get a chapter out before the end of the week. Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take as long.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Complications arise and we start on our mission

Luckily, Jack was a light packer so they were on their way to a grand hotel in town. The concierge was a bit confused at first because he had their guest written down as “The Honourable _Miss_ Phryne Fisher,” but mumbled his apologies when the lady told him that he must have misunderstood her and that she was indeed married and pointed to Jack as her husband. 

Begrudgingly, Jack offered him his bags and Phryne led him by the hand up to her, or rather their, suite. The room was huge. There were large windows with a sea view, which if Jack was being honest, was something he could do without seeing for quite some time. What he admired the most though, was the intricate pattern designs of the rugs. They were absolutely stunning and well made. The room was big enough that he could host a mini party with at least ten different couples and no one would have felt cramped. He walked into the room attached and noticed that the bed had a light pink silk comforter with gold trimmings and matching pillows. And attached to bedroom was the walk-in closet and an enormous bathroom with a bathtub built for two just as Phryne promised. This must cost a fortune, he thought. Although he was admiring everything it also made him feel out of place. He should not be staying in a place like this. He was a policeman. A Detective Inspector who served the people of Melbourne. The occasional thought that the Honorouble Miss Phryne Fisher was out of his league came back to him. He knew they were equals when it came to the mind, and now the body, but how could she possibly want to be with a plain Inspector when everything else in her life was this grand?

Phryne was observing her darling Inspector as he surveyed the suite. It filled her with joy that she could take him out of that cramped compartment on the ship and allow him to bask in these luxuries along with her. He seemed to be in awe, but after he finished surveying the rooms his face seemed to change expression. She noted a bit of worry and anxiousness.

“Is there something wrong, Jack?”

He cleared his throat. “No…it’s just, well Phryne, don’t you think this is a bit much for one person?”

“Two people, you mean.”

“Yes, even two people. I’m not used to this kind of… extravagance.”

“Well you better get used to it.” She started to approach him. “Because as long as you are with me, you will get to sleep in the best sheets, dress in the best fabrics and bathe with the best soaps and oils.” She moved her head up to give him a nice kiss, but it wasn’t reciprocated.

“Jack?” She quirked her eyebrow up at him and looked worried.

“I’m sorry, Phryne, but that’s not who I am. I can’t live like this.” When he noticed the glimpse of fear in her eyes, he quickly added, “I want you, I do. But this is all too much. I’m just a plain police officer. I fight crime and demand justice. I work for the people. It wouldn’t look right if I was being primped and pampered. The people of Melbourne would turn against me even more than they already do. They would see me as a kept man and not as an individual who works hard. I hope you can understand that.”

Phryne stepped back and took a moment to process everything he just told her, but being that she had a quick mind, it didn’t take her long. She turned towards a cushioned chair in the corner of the room and sat down.

Jack was concerned at what her reaction would be. When he said the words “kept man” he could see that her eyes flinched. He didn’t want to hurt her or lose her, but he feared that he may have bruised her ego. Hopefully she wasn’t insulted, but when she turned away from him and sat down, he could feel a change in the air. He took a deep breath and let out a much needed sigh. He was readying himself for an argument.

“Jack, I am not going to apologize for being an independent woman. I have money, I am going to spend my money how I please. I don’t want to be handled by any man demanding things from me. I thought you were different.”

“Phryne, I don’t want you…” Jack tried to interject.

“No, let me finish. You know more about me than anyone else in my life with the exception of possibly Mac. You have seen me at my worst and what shocks myself the most is that I didn’t shy away from those moments. You once told me that you would never ask me to change. Were you being truthful?” She waited for his answer.

“Yes I was. But, Phryne…”

“Then I don’t understand why you would want me to stop being who I am. I’ve never asked you to change.” There were tears starting to form in her eyes. She tried to hide them by looking down at her hands and fiddling with her fingers.

“May I speak now?” Jack asked. When Phryne didn’t stop him he continued in a harsher voice than he intended. “I never want you to change, but we are from two different worlds. I know that from time to time, I will be met with extravagance because I expect nothing less from you, but I’m also a simple man. I don’t need silk sheets and jasmine soap to start my day.” His voice softened, “I just need fresh air and a good woman to make me feel complete.” Phryne finally lifted her head at that and choked out a sob.

Jack approached her at the chair, took her hands into his and knelt down in front of her. “This relationship isn’t going to be easy, but if you are as serious about me as I am about you, we need to compromise. I’ll go to your extravagant society events from time to time as long as you don’t expect me to walk into work each day with the most expensive tie Melbourne can offer.” He lifted his right hand to the side of face and wiped the tears away. “Can we agree on that?”

Phryne seemed to be at a loss for words and just nodded her head fervently. If Jack was willing to fight for them, she was too. She wanted this too much and she wasn’t going to let it slip away so quickly.

When she finally found her voice she said, “Jack, let’s make one thing clear, you will never be a kept man.” Jack winced. He wasn’t proud of that earlier comment.

“Phryne, I’m sorry…”

“A kept man” she interrupted, “is someone who gets all he needs in life from a woman of means because he shares her bed at night. You’ll need to work a little harder than that for me if you want to continue sleeping in my bed.”

Jack’s eyes furrowed in confusion.

You need to share all your cases with me too. I don’t want to be kept out of the loop on anything.”

A much needed laugh was shared by the two of them.

“So are you just using me for my connections?”

“You’re catching on Inspector.” She smiled as she pulled his face up to hers for a kiss.

Jack couldn’t contain his smile. Their first major fight seemed to have ended pretty well, but her statement reminded him of the reason why they were both there together in the first place.

“Didn’t you mention a case we have to solve?”

Phryne’s eyes lit up. “Yes!! Let me run to get my files.”

She jumped up from the chair and ran to the desk in the other room. Jack pivoted on his feet and admired her childlike glee when she was in detective mode.

 

* * *

 

 

“Antoinette Durand was one of my closest friends during the war. She was a nurse for the French Military. We called her Toni. She married a Benjamin Grant who was a Private in the British Army. They have been living in France since, however, Ben was interested in Egyptian culture so he would frequently make trips to Cairo to explore the pyramids and unlock any ancient mysteries. Turns out he made friends with the wrong people and Toni hasn’t heard from him in weeks. I have been able to locate the last archeological dig he joined which has allowed me to locate his ‘friends’ however, I can’t continue without your help. The police won’t cooperate with me because I’m a woman.” She gave him an exasperated look once she finished her summary.

“Why don’t you use your feminine charm on them?”  
  
“How do you think I obtained the information I already have? No man will talk to me unless I offer them something. And now I need to find information from this vile group of men, but I’m afraid I’ll need to go undercover and I want you for backup. I don’t trust anyone else.”

They were sitting on the floor next to the fireplace. Well, he was sitting, she was laying on her stomach with her legs lifted at the knees and crossed showing off her beautifully manicured toenails. She was shuffling through the few notes she had trying to tell him as much information as she could, but he soon discovered that except for the dangerous men this Benjamin Grant had encountered, she knew nothing. Not if they were the ones who took him, not if he was just kidnapped, in hiding, or worse, dead.

Jack joined her to lay on the floor and it was almost an identical picture image of them underneath the docks at Queenscliff eating fish and chips.

“I’m a bit apprehensive to just join you on an undercover mission without knowing anything about these men.”

“That’s why I’m filing you in now. I have names and descriptions of most of them. We can talk through the plan on the train too. It should take a few hours to get to Cairo from here. I just need to help Toni. I depended on her so much during the war. She went through it all with me, I can’t abandon her now.” Phryne started to choke up and tears were forming in her eyes. She cleared her throat and looked at him. “Will you help me?”

“Of course I will Phryne. We’ll do what we do best and find out what’s happened to him.” He took her hand. “I just want a promise from you that you will communicate with me before you do anything. I don’t want to lose track of you at any point. Can you do that?”

Phryne nodded her head. “The train leaves at six in the morning. I’ll call for room service to bring up dinner and we’ll work through the case. I’ll need to get close to these men, but I’ll need you as backup. Which reminds me, did you bring your gun?”

Jack’s eyes went wide. “No, it’s police issued and since I’m on leave, I had to leave it with them. Also, I was hoping this would be a pleasure trip.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to steal you one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the feedback! Sorry this chapter took so long. I had part one ready about a week ago, but I wanted to get the mission started in this chapter which was the reason for the delay.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne and Jack are on their way to Cairo and prepare for their mission

The Lady Detective was accompanied by her Detective Inspector on a train bound for Cairo. Unfortunately for the two of them, they did not get to take advantage of the bath built for two. They were up all night discussing plans and backup plans. Phryne even had a map of Cairo that Jack practically memorized by the time they had to leave for the train. She already knew her way around the city, but Jack needed to make sure he was properly prepared before the mission started. He didn’t want to engage in firearms, but Phryne was right, this mission was too dangerous to proceed without ammunition. He was going to have to find a way to get a gun.

The earlier suggestion that there would be some time for pleasure while on the train ride was also dismissed when both of them fell asleep the moment they closed their eyes. Luckily, Jack anticipated this and asked the porter to knock on their compartment door once they were about to enter Cairo.

Although their plan for romance was spoiled by their need for sleep, Jack was pleasantly surprised to find Phryne draped over him when he woke from the Porter’s knock on the door. They had both fallen asleep across from each other, but Phryne must have woken up at some point and joined him on his side. Jack didn’t mind one bit and his subconscious must have been aware of the situation because he found his arm was already wrapped around her holding her against him. He gripped her tighter and lifted his free hand to brush away the stray hairs from her face. Hearing her annoyed groan warmed his heart.

She tilted her head up and opened her eyes to find a handsome Detective Inspector gazing back at her. A soft smile slowly spread across her face. Oh, she could get used to waking up like this. She stretched her body across his and noticed some tightening against his trousers. She raised an eyebrow up at him and Jack gave her a cautionary look.

“We have to get ready, the train’s pulling into Cairo now.” He insisted.

Still groggy from the few hours of sleep she had and the long and active day she had the day before, she groaned. “How long do we have?”

“No time at all, I had the Porter knock on the door when we were fifteen minutes away.”

Phryne lifted her body up and moved her hand to the opening of his trousers.

“Phryne! I said we have no time. At this point we’ll be in Cairo in ten minutes.”

“You underestimate my skills, Inspector” she purred.

 

* * *

 

 

Although Jack was no longer a child, when they got onto the platform of the train station in Cairo, he thought that all eyes were on him and that everyone knew what had just occurred only a few minutes prior. He would never underestimate her skills again.

They headed towards a hotel where Phryne had already made reservations for the both of them under the name of a Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Jones. She seemed to take their earlier conversation to heart because when they arrived to their room, Jack noticed that they weren’t in the most expensive room in the hotel. Rather, he found himself in a nice sized bedroom that came equipped with a table and chairs, a desk in the corner and also a nice sized bathroom. Unfortunately, there was not enough room for two unless they really squeezed in, which he didn’t find himself minding if the opportunity arised. This room made him feel on even ground with her again. He glanced to his side and saw her gazing at him and he could tell from experience that she was trying to gauge his reaction. He quickly turned to her, pulled her into an embrace and gently placing a kiss onto the top of her head.

Phryne didn’t realize how tense she was until Jack pulled her in and she felt herself relax against his chest. She didn’t like feeling unsure of herself. She wanted to blame it on the lack of sleep rather than caring about another man’s approval, but she knew she would be lying to herself. It wasn’t that she needed his approval, but she cared about him and his opinions. She wanted him to be comfortable. He had just traveled halfway across the world for her and she wanted to make sure that he felt appreciated.

When they pulled back from the embrace, she looked up at him and said “I need to check if there are any telegrams from Toni. She’s been wiring me about twice a day since I’ve arrived. It must be costing her a fortune.”

He glanced down at her and said softly, “It’s hard to be away from someone you love and not have anyway to contact them. She must be going mad.”

“Someone you love?” Phryne repeated. She was trying out the word. Was she ready to say that to him? Was she ready to hear that from him?

“Mmhmm, so I think you should let her know that we’re back in Cairo and we’ll proceed immediately.” He wanted to continue his semi-declaration of love, but he could tell that Phryne wasn’t quite ready yet.

“Right. I’ll be right back.” And with that she turned and was out the door.

Jack decided to take a shower while she was out. He needed to ready himself for the day they had planned. They had to infiltrate a group of dangerous men and find out all the information they could in order to find Toni’s husband, Ben. Phryne would be doing all the hard work and Jack was her back-up. She was going to go undercover and try to seduce the men, hoping they would let slip their plans and what happened to Ben. They both knew this was dangerous since none of these men seemed to be gentlemen. That’s why it became more apparent that Jack needed to get his hands on a gun.

 

* * *

 

Phryne wanted to look her part of an Egyptian woman. She wore a dress that she could walk around the streets with, but was just sheer enough to let any man know that she was “easy.” She also had a long black wig and made sure that she used heavy eyeliner to complete the look. When she was done she stood up from the vanity and turned to Jack.

“What do you think?” She made a little twirl.  
  
Jack was sitting at the desk reading from the notes he had written down earlier. When he looked up at her he found he was speechless. She looked absolutely stunning. How did he get so lucky?

Phryne was amused by his lack of words and smiled. “If you play your cards right, when this is all over, we can have some more fun with this ensemble.”

Jack cleared his throat. “You look amazing, Phryne. Although it does make me worry even more. No man would be able to take his hands off you.”

“You seem to be doing a pretty good job.” Phryne shot back, with a hint of teasing in her eyes.

“I’ve had a lot of practice seeing you in less than acceptable getups before. And unfortunately I am unable to even get up right now.”

Phryne looked concerned. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“You could say that.” He continued when she still didn’t catch on. “Tight trousers.”

“Ah” She smiled, “but Jack, we’re all alone here. You don’t have to hide that from anyone.” She purred as she approached his chair. Then she abruptly stopped. “However it’s probably best that we don’t get into any heavy petting right now because I don’t want to re-apply my makeup and we have to make some headway on this case.”

Jack nodded. “Right. Just give me a moment.”

Phryne couldn’t help but laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have most of the next chapter done so it should be up by the end of the week. Also, I'm trying to keep this story in G territory, but this chapter did slip into T. It's harmless enough. Nothing too explicit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne starts off on her mission.

Phryne noticed the group of men that she believed Ben to have dealt with, were at the bar and had to wait until they were leaving to catch their eye since women weren’t allowed inside. They were a rowdy bunch, but once they stepped outside they couldn’t help but notice Phryne.

“Hello pretty lady. What’s your name?” The biggest of the five men sauntered over to her which caused her to move back and bump into the wall of the restaurant next door.

“Fern, sir.” Phryne replied, her voice smooth as silk trying to give the impression of a lady of the night.

“Sir! I like that. I like a woman who knows her place.” He bellowed. He raised his arm and moved it above her head and placed the other one to her side, leaving Phryne trapped by this brute. He wasn’t fat, but he had a large build and looked like he could snap her as if she was a twig. “You interested in a good time?”

“What’s your name?” Phryne tried to act like she liked the idea when truly she was completely repulsed by this man. She already knew his name was Mostafa from her earlier research, but it wouldn’t look right if she called him that right away without a proper introduction.

“Why don’t you just call me Sir for now, huh? Why don’t you come back to my place and we can have some fun?”

Phryne nodded and removed her innocent façade and gave him a leering look up and down as if undressing him. “Mmm, I like a man who takes control.”

“You do, do you Fern? That’s good to know. I can be a bit aggressive sometimes.”

Phryne knew the type and she also knew that Jack was in the area watching this exchange. Unfortunately, Mostafa was speaking so low that there was no way Jack could hear the interaction. The first part of the plan was to get entry into their meeting place. She knew it wasn’t far from where they were already, but didn’t know the exact location. She had seen these men have their drinks at the bar and stumble on their way back to a dark alleyway. She tried to get a glimpse of the alleyway during the day to see any entrances to the nearby buildings, but didn’t see anything except the entrance to a kitchen of a local restaurant.

“Why don’t you come with me so I can show you a good time?” He continued.

Phryne nodded and followed his lead. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. She trusted Jack was nearby, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t going to go as planned. Mostafa was a very determined, strong and aggressive man. Even though she had both her gun and dagger strapped to her upper thigh, she was outnumbered, five to one.

They turned into the dark alleyway and walked towards the kitchen entrance. They opened the door and went down a hallway on the side that led to another door that opened to a cellar. The men they passed in the kitchen seemed to keep their heads down and ignore the group of men. No doubt they had been threatened before and didn’t want to start any trouble. Mostafa led Phryne down the steps to the cellar which, when he turned on the light, revealed a rather expansive room. It was rather messy, but revealed several cushioned chairs and a sofa. It was more of a lounge than anything else. There was a billiard table and a bar. It was much more of a hangout room than what Phryne was imagining their hideaway would look like.

Mostafa had her sat down on the sofa and walked back to talk to two of his men. They were whispering and Phryne could not make out what they were saying, but they both nodded and left. It was now just Mostafa, Phryne and the other two men in the cellar.

“Do you want a drink?” He asked her.

Phryne nodded, “Yes, I would love one.”

Mostafa gave a nod and one of the men went to the bar and picked up some whiskey to pour. Whiskey made Phryne think of Jack and she hoped he was able to track them well enough to find her here. She kept an eye on the man making her drink because she didn’t trust him.

Mostafa joined her on the sofa and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. His other hand was on her thigh.  

The man came back from the bar and handed her her drink. She took a quick sip and looked at Mostafa.

He had a smug smile on his face. “So Phryne Fisher, how are you doing this evening?”

Phryne’s eyes opened wide in terror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be 2 parts, but I decided to end on a cliffhanger here. It's a bit shorter than I would've liked, but the next bit will work best as it's own chapter too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne finds herself in trouble and can only hope that backup comes soon.

“You don’t think I didn’t notice you before, snooping around for the past week? I’ve got eyes all over this city.” His grip on her thigh was getting tighter. She was sure she was going to have a bruise there.

“Hmmm, I think I feel something here.” He quickly lifted up her dress and noticed the gun and removed it from her garter.

“Well isn’t this a pretty thing?” His arm was still around her shoulder, but his other hand was holding the gun up to his face to get a better look. “A pearl handled revolver. Never seen one before. Must’ve cost a fortune. You must be a well off woman, good to know.”

Phryne had nowhere to go. Luckily, Mostafa hadn’t noticed her dagger, but she didn’t know what plans he had on her. She winced at the thought.

“Karim!” the other man who hadn’t prepared Phryne’s drink ran towards Mostafa. “Why don’t you take our guest to the other room and have her join the friend she’s been looking for?” 

Ben! He must be here too and alive! There was still hope. Jack wasn’t far and for the moment she still had her dagger.

The man named Karim grabbed Phryne’s wrists tightly and pulled her from the couch. He moved her arms so the were behind her bag and shoved her towards a back room. When the door opened, her eyes could barely make out anything. It looked just like a dungeon and smelled like piss. There was a light fixture above that didn’t give off much light at all. It was still dark and there were no windows since they were under the restaurant. It was awful to think that just above them people were enjoying their meals and completely oblivious as to what was happening just below their feet.

Karim moved her to the far side of the room where there were chains hanging, sat her down and strapped the cuffs to both her hands. He then took a rope from the corner of the room and tied her legs together. Phryne decided to be compliant for now. If she acted as a complacent prisoner, they may underestimate her capabilities and be ill-prepared when she finally found a way out of here.

When Karim was satisfied with his knot around her legs, he got up and left, closing the door behind him. There was silence for just a moment.

“Who’s here?” a raspy voice called out from about 2 meters away.

“It’s Phryne Fisher. Is that you, Ben?” she called back.

“Yes! Phryne, how did you get yourself into this mess? These are bad men.” She could hear hope in his voice. 

“I’ve noticed.” She returned, deadpan. “Toni contacted me when she hadn’t heard from you in awhile. She knows I’m a Private Detective now and wanted some advice. I volunteered my services to come and find you. I succeeded in that part at least.” She squinted her eyes towards where his voice came from, but it was so dark that she could only make the outline of his figure and couldn’t see any of his features to confirm it was him. She thought she could tell by his voice, but it was so strangled that it was a far cry from his usually speech that she was used to.

“Toni! How is she? Is she doing alright? I’ve been torturing myself thinking about how she must be fretting over me. I miss her so much.” His voice broke and she could hear faint whimpers. 

“She’s fine, Ben. She’s very worried, but I’ve been able to calm her down a bit.  How did you find yourself in this mess?” She asked.

“It was an amateur mistake. Throughout my years coming to Cairo to join in archeological digs and attending forums to learn more about the culture here, I always had my wits about me. I never fully trusted anyone. Apparently, Mostafa learned that I had money and took it upon himself to endear himself to me and offer me experiences that were too good to refuse. He promised me a trip to go exploring the Pyramid of Djoser with the possibility of finding and opening a tomb that has yet to be explored. He said the last time they went down there, they did not have the proper tools to continue and were waiting for someone who could help fund their next trip. If I agreed to pay, I could accompany them. It was such a thrilling offer that I just had to say yes. I did ask a few people about this man’s reputation and they all vouched for him. I now know that they were all scared of him and were only telling me he was trustworthy under threat.” He started coughing and his voice seemed to be straining more and more as he told his story.

“When was the last time you were given a drink of water?” Phryne asked.

“Yesterday? Two days ago? I don’t remember, the days seem to bunch together.” He continued to cough.

As if reading their minds, Kasim came in and had a bowl of water with him. He first made a move towards Ben and let him sip from a giant wooden spoon. When Kasim felt that Ben had gotten his fill, he went towards Phryne and although she wasn’t too thirsty, she wasn’t sure when she was going to get her next drink from Ben’s testimony and drank as much as she could before Kasim got up and walked back out the door.

“That was strange. It was like her read our minds.” Phryne stated.

“Hmmm…I’m not questioning it. I really needed that.” His voice was already sounding more like the Ben she knew.

“To continue with my story. I paid a pretty substantial amount of money for this trip that I soon began to realize was a complete hoax. I demanded my money back and he refused. I then threatened going to go to the police and he laughed at that. He told me to tell them that he said hello. That’s when I learned that the police were corrupt here too. I then threatened to go to the British Embassy. That’s when he started to take me seriously. I like to think that I can handle my own in a fight, but Mostafa is about twice the size that I am and he also had two of his men with him at the time. I had no chance. I blacked out and next thing I knew, woke up here. I honestly don’t know where I am.”

“You’re in a cellar underneath a local restaurant in Cairo.” Phryne answered.

“So we are still in the city? As long as we are in his territory, I don’t like our chances.” Ben said honestly.

“I don’t know about that. I have a secret weapon on my side.” She was referring to two things, her dagger and Jack.

“Oh, what’s that?” Ben asked as the hope returned to his voice.

All of a sudden, the door opened wide again and in stepped Mostafa. She only knew it was him from the outline of his body in the light from the other room.

“Here’s your secret weapon lady.”

The two men that Mostafa whispered to earlier walked in with another person who was tied up. Phryne scrunched her face trying to make out who it was, but her stomach instinctively dropped with fear.

Just then one of the men raised a torch to the face of their newest prisoner and turned it on. The face squinted from the bright light now shining in his face, but it was unmistakable who it was.

Jack!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger...sorry about that. Hope you guys are enjoying. I have never written fanfiction...or any story for that matter ever so this is all a learning experience for me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack, Phryne and Ben are now trapped and have to find a way out.

They had placed Jack in between her and Ben. He was about a meter away and Phryne could make out his face a bit. He looked beaten. She noticed a few bruises on his face, but couldn’t see them in detail due to the light, but noticed bleeding on his lower lip. Poor Jack. Mostafa must have known that she was working with Jack to find Ben. It became more and more apparent that he really did have eyes all over this city. She couldn’t trust anyone. The only way she could truly make it out of here was to bring down Mostafa and his men, otherwise the police will be on their tail as well. Luckily she flew into Cairo so if they could make it to the hanger that held her plane, she might be in luck. Unluckily for her, it only held two people at a time, but she would have to worry about that later.

She also realized that these men could hear everything they said. It seemed odd that once she mentioned water, Kasim came in with a bowl. It all made sense, however, when Mostafa quoted her own line back to her. She was going to have to come up with a plan without informing Ben or Jack. If she could just get the dagger out of her garter, she could release ropes off her legs. That would allow her some movement. Then she would have to worry about the cuffs around her wrists. Unfortunately, she forgot her lock pick on the table in the hotel room. That was foolish of her. There was no way she could get out of these iron chains without it.

“So who is this, may I ask?” She heard Ben asked.

Damn! How was she going to communicate to these men that they couldn’t communicate with each other? Apparently Ben hadn’t caught on that the men outside were listening to everything they said.

“I might ask the same of you.” Jack responded.

“I’m Benjamin Grant.”

“Oh! Mr. Grant, we’ve been looking for you.” He said matter-of-factly.

“Well, you found me. So you and Phryne are working together Mister….”

“Robinson, Jack Robinson. Yes, we are.”

Phryne did all she could to maneuver her body so that her legs made contact with Jack’s and gave him a gentle kick. He quickly turned to her with a confused expression. Her eyes were wide and she tilted her head towards the door.

“Huh?” He needed a moment to catch up. When he saw her tilt her head, his brain finally understood what she was getting at.

They could hear everything they said. She kept looking at Jack and made a gesture to her thigh and looked back at him with wide eyes. Jack knew exactly what she was getting at. He knew that that’s where she kept her dagger. Okay, so the first step was to get the dagger out of her garter so they could get out of the ropes around their legs. He nodded his head and moved his body so that his legs were touching hers. It wasn’t easy, he felt like a mermaid flopping around. They were about a meter away, but luckily the thigh that held the dagger was closest to him.

“What are you two doing?” Ben asked.

Jack quickly turned his body back towards Ben and gave him a wide eyed glance. Right at that moment, Kasim came back into the room.

“What’s going on here?” He was holding a torch to look at them.

“I had an itch on my arm and Jack was seeing if he could help me out. We were unsuccessful.” Phryne responded.

Kasim nodded. It didn’t seem like he really believed her, but accepted it so he could get out of this piss-scented room.

Once the door closed, Jack turned to Ben and pursed his lips to say a silent “Shh.” Ben got the hint and kept quiet.

Phryne tilted her body towards Jack and he repeated his movements from earlier. He was able to get her dress up to her garter and could see the dagger. Now the trick was to remove the dagger from her garter without cutting her. He pointed his foot and put pressure on the hilt of the dagger so the sharp knife lifted up. He then pushed up so that the dagger would slide out of the garter. He had to repeat this a few times, but finally the dagger slipped out and fell to the floor without any harm done.

The next task was to get the dagger into either her mouth or hands. She could then lift her legs up into a pike position and try to cut herself loose. The iron cuffs around her hands were on chains and if she moved to one side, one arm would move up and the other would lower. She was hoping she could lower her hand enough to reach the dagger, but that didn’t seem to work.

Jack could see her work and was thinking of ways to help her. He quickly moved his body towards her again and tried to kick off his shoe. It landed just below her hand. Phryne looked at him confused. What use was his smelly shoe going to be? He just looked towards her hand and the dagger. She put two and two together and figured out what his plan was. Brilliant!

She grabbed the shoe and turned it so that she was holding the toe cap. She then slid the opening of the shoe towards the hilt of the dagger hoping it would slip into it. It did! She carefully placed the shoe onto her thigh and reached out for the dagger. Got it! Now for some flexibility work. It took some time, about fifteen minutes, but thanks to her determination, she was able to cut into the rope and release her legs. She began stretching them and turned to Jack who was beaming at her. She couldn’t help, but smile back. Teamwork, it’s what they did best.

Now, she had free use of her legs again. Jack nudged her legs and she looked at him to notice him eying his other foot that still had a shoe. She had no idea what he was getting at. She looked back at his face and saw him mouthing something to her. _What was that? Oh! Lock pick!_ Her eyes opened wide. He had her lock pick?! That was brilliant!

She mouthed back “shoe?” He shook his head and mouthed “sock” but it took him three tries for her to understand. So he couldn’t just take off his shoe and give her the lock pick. If it was inside his sock, she was going to have to release him from the rope around his legs to get to it. She raised the dagger to him and silently asked if he thought he could get himself out if she gave it to him and he nodded. She placed the dagger back into his shoe and used her feet to send it over his way. Once he grabbed it, it took him about twenty minutes to get himself out. He wasn’t as flexible as Phryne so he had to take a few more periods of rest.

Once he was out of his confines, he slipped out of his other shoe and raised up his trousers so that he could get at the suspenders that were holding up his sock. It took a bit of finagling, but he was able to disconnect them and slip his sock off. He then used his toes to transfer it safely to Phryne who was able to reach for it with her hand. She would’ve made a joke about the smell, but her nostrils were already contaminated by the smell permeating the room, that she could barely smell anything. Also, time was of the essence. She removed her lock pick and got to work. She tried using her left hand on her right cuff, but found that wasn’t working. She then tried putting the pick in her mouth, but that didn’t seem to work either. She then switched the pick to her right hand and tried to unlock her left. That seemed to do the trick. Her dominant hand showed why it was so dominant in the first place. Her left hand was free! She beamed at Jack who beamed back at her with pride. It took no time at all to release her right hand and then she quickly got to work on Jack and Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just have to edit the next chapter so I plan on posting it tomorrow. I actually might finish the whole story tonight (maybe not). There's a heatwave in New York and I didn't want to go outside at all. 
> 
> Didn't want you guys having to deal with a cliffhanger for too long so I hope this chapter helps.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack, Phryne and Ben work on a plan to get out of captivity.

All three of them tried to be as silent as can be. Phryne and Jack walked around the room trying to find anything they could use to their advantage. Ben was in the corner trying to get some feeling back in his hands after having them bound for weeks. There seemed to be an endless supply of rope in one corner. Phryne felt around the walls hoping to feel for another way out, but didn’t find anything. It seemed the only way out was the way they came in. They were going to have to get through the five men with only a small dagger as a weapon.

Jack found some dirty sheets in the middle of the room. He handed them to Phryne and made a gesture of cutting the sheets and mimed covering his mouth. Phryne understood what he was getting at. If they could capture one of them, they could silence them with a gag to cover up any suspicion from the other men. Brilliant plan! She got to work at silently cutting the sheets into strips.

Once she had made enough, they worked on a plan to get out of here.

 

* * *

 

 

At this point they had been locked up in the cellar for several hours. Planning without speaking was a difficult task, but Phryne and Jack had a shorthand that worked well. They knew that Kasim was the one who made the occasional visits into their room so they would have to lure him in.

Phryne and Ben went back into their original positions at the far wall.

“I have to use the toilet” Phryne said to Ben. “Is there anyway of doing that without soiling my dress?”

“No, I don’t think so. Occasionally they would let me out and do my business over in that corner, but if it was only just pee I wasn’t released.” Bed responded.

Phryne couldn’t believe the awful conditions Ben had been living in. This truly was hell and she was even more determined than ever to get out of her. Kasim hadn’t entered so Phryne changed topics.

She put her voice into a stage whisper. “Do you know anyway of getting out of these iron cuffs?”

With that, Kasim entered the room. Jack was standing behind the door and quickly closed it, jumped on Kasim to cover his mouth and held the dagger to his throat. Kasim’s eyes were wide with terror. He didn’t expect an ambush. Jack shoved him towards the far wall and Phryne took a strip of sheet, covered Kasim’s mouth and tied it in the back. Ben took hold of one of his hands and put placed it in an iron cuff while Jack worked on the other. Phryne then got to work on tying the rope around his legs. Once they were satisfied, they got up, took a breath and admired their work. One down, four to go.

Jack checked Kasim’s pockets and found a torch and a gun. It was loaded. Things were looking up for them. He showed Phryne his discovery who looked very pleased and relieved. They now had a weapon that would be more effective than her small dagger. Jack shined the torch light onto his watch to check the time. It was about five in the morning. The sun would rise in about an hour and a half. They didn’t have much time if they were to escape out of here unnoticed.

Jack spoke aloud for the first time in hours. “How many of you are there?” he whispered to Kasim. Kasim shook his head. Phryne moved over to the door. If anyone popped in from hearing what Jack just said, she wanted to be ready for them.

“Are you the only one here?” Jack asked. Again, Kasim shook his head. Jack then pressed the dagger to his throat. “Out with it or this might not end well for you.” Kasim’s eyes widened as he looked down at the knife. He quickly pointed to himself.

“What’s that?” Jack asked.

Kasim then held up a single finger.

“I think he’s trying to say he’s the only one.” Phryne said. “He must be, otherwise the other men would’ve shown up by now.

Jack lifted up the gag for a moment. “Is that true?”

Kasim took a deep breath. “Yes, it’s true. I was on the night shift. Mostafa is at home except for one, Kamal who is guarding the door outside in the alleyway.”

“Which one is Kamal?” Phryne asked 

“He’s the one who prepared your drink miss.”

“Where are Mostafa and the other two?” she continued with her questioning.

“I would imagine the other three are back home asleep.” Karim answered.

Phryne and Jack nodded. Okay, so it was now the three of them against one man who was guarding the door. The difficulty of this mission had dropped significantly, but Phryne still had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was almost too good to be true.

“What time will they be back?” Jack asked.

“Mostafa usually doesn’t come back until noon, but the other two will be here in about an hour.”

So they had to move fast. Phryne turned to Jack and pulled him aside. “We can call a taxi and tell him to take us to the airfield. I only have room for one passenger though.”

Jack nodded. That was a good plan, but it did leave them in a bit of a pickle. “Well, that’s an easy decision, take Mr. Grant.”  
  
“But Jack…”

“No, Phryne. I’ll be okay. Take Mr. Grant back to his wife. I will just have to find a safe hiding spot in the meantime.”

“But Jack, Mostafa practically owns this whole city. You won’t be safe anywhere.”

“This isn’t a debate Phryne. It’s the only choice we have.”

Phryne could feel the tears filling her eyes. Jack was right. In order to bring her friend’s love back to her, she was going to have to leave her own love behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are enjoying so far! Thanks for all the kudos! I'll post the next chapter tonight.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will they be able to make it out of Cairo in time?

Jack, Phryne and Ben left Kasim locked up in the other room as they entered the very large cellar room. Phryne looked around for her gun, but came up empty. As they kept on with their search, Ben explained to Jack how he came to find himself in his predicament. As he was listening, Jack moved a painting to the side and noticed a safe behind the frame. He motioned Phryne over to him who saw the safe and ran over to the bar to grab a glass. In no time at all they were able to open it and found not only her pearl handled revolver, but Jack and Ben’s wallets with their identifications. There was also a very nice sized sum of money.

“That must be the money they took from me under false pretense.” Ben exclaimed.

“You paid that much to look at a dead mummy?” Jack had been in too many morgues and witnessed too much death in his life to understand the fascination with mummification.

“It was a once in a lifetime experience!” Ben then grabbed most of the money and put it in his pockets. Jack grabbed the rest.

They only had about thirty minutes to make it out before the other two men arrived. Now they had two guns, a dagger and money on them. Phryne would have to worry about Jack and her luggage in the hotel at a later time. The main objective was to get out of Cairo as quickly as possible.

They ran up the steps and Jack checked to see if they could leave from the entrance of the restaurant instead of the alleyway. That way, they wouldn’t have to deal with Kamal. They were in luck. It was locked, but thanks to Phryne’s skills with a lock pick they were out in no time.

Ben barely had any strength left from his weeks in captivity and Jack decided to put his arm around him to hold him up. He then whispered “Act like your drunk.”

Benjamin Grant played his part beautifully. Phryne canoodled up to Jack to look like a lady of the night. They didn’t want to draw up suspicion and acting like they just had a long drunken night seemed to be their best option. After a few minutes, they were losing hope of finding a taxi until Ben shouted. “There’s one a block ahead!” 

It was parked outside a residence building. They hoped it wasn’t in use.

Once they approached, Jack asked “Can you take us to the airfield?”

“No can do, I’m here to pick up someone.” The taxi man explained in his thick Egyptian accent. 

Jack scrummaged into his pocket and lifted a fifty-pound note. “Now can you take us to the airfield?”

The taxi man nodded his head and grabbed the note. Ben, Jack and Phryne jumped into the back. Just as the taxi pulled away, a large man exited the residence and just caught sight of them climbing into the cab. How did they get out? He wondered.

Mostafa then ran back towards his hangout to find his men.

 

* * *

 

They had made their way to the airfield. All three of them hopped out and ran towards the hanger that held Phryne’s aircraft. Once there, Phryne grabbed her goggles and leather jacket from the back and put them on. Her heels and dress weren’t very conducive for flying, but she would have to make do for now. She hopped in and drove the aircraft out into the field and Jack helped her prepare for her journey.

“Ben get in!” Jack yelled. He helped lift Ben into the front passenger seat.

Phryne’s heart was beating fast. She hadn’t felt this much adrenaline in a long time. She hopped out of the aircraft.

“Phryne, what are you doing?” She pulled on his arm and moved him to the back of the plane, out of Ben’s hearing range. She then grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Jack, I don’t want to leave you.”

“You have to, for Toni and Ben’s sake.” Jack he said calmly as he smoothed her hair back and looked into her eyes.

“I know. But what about us?” The tears were forming in her eyes, ready to fall.

“Don’t cry Phryne. You need clear eyesight for the task ahead of you.”

She nodded. He was right, damn him.

“Phryne, I will be safe. Don’t worry about me. I just had the most amazing couple of days in my life. I’ll be able to live off that until you get back.” He gave her lips a peck.

“I don’t like leaving you behind.”

“I know that you care for me, Phryne. I’ll wait for you here. I’ll be alright.” He smiled.

“I don’t just care for you, idiot. I love you!” With that she jumped back into the cockpit leaving Jack with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

When he was finally able to move, he moved towards the propellers when Phryne yelled “Contact!” and pulled them down so that they were in motion.

In no time at all the plane was off and moving. Jack stood there and watched her fly away from him for the second time in his life. Phryne looked back down at him and smiled. He would be alright, he’s smart and capable. Just as her thoughts were drifting off into happy territory, she noticed a car stop behind Jack and five men climb out of the vehicle.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne has a decision to make.

Phryne was faced with a decision. Does she turn the plane back around and try her best to rescue Jack, or does she continue on her journey. She heard gunshots in the distance and when she looked back down she noticed the car was gone. Her stomach was doing flips. What happened? Was he alright? Was he dead? Ben turned around and she could tell that he was trying to gather what her plans were. She needed to make a decision, and quick.

Jack wouldn’t want her to turn back. Even though everything in her heart was telling her to turn around, her brain was telling her to bring Ben back to Toni. Was she sacrificing her love for her friend’s? Was it worth it? Images of the past few days rushed through her head. The look of him standing there bemused when she surprised him on the ship. The look in his eyes every time she caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. And that smile that was reserved just for her. In just an instant, she may have lost all of that forever. She wouldn’t know for sure until she returned. It made her sick to her stomach to even think of it so she tried to push it out of her mind entirely and concentrate on flying. He told her he was going to be fine on his own. Just this once, she was going to do as he said and complete the mission instead of defying him. This was going to be the longest flight of her life.

 

* * *

 

 

Instead of flying Ben all the way back to France, Phryne decided to drop him off in Libya so that she could return back to Jack as quickly as possible. At least she got him out of the country where Mostafa yielded so much authority. They landed in an airstrip just outside of Benghazi and Ben quickly ran into the nearest tailor shop to buy a new outfit and trashed his old one. Luckily he had all his money back. He finally was able to look at himself in the mirror and noticed how emancipated he looked. He was going to have to eat a whole lot so that his wife, Toni, would worry less.

In the meantime, Phryne ran to the nearest post office and wired a message to her friend saying that she found Ben and that he was on his way home. Ben’s plan was to stay in a hotel for the night and get some well deserved sleep as well as a nice relaxing bath and shave. He was then going to take a train to Tripoli and hop onto a ship bound for France. He would be home in a little over a week which should give him enough time to gain some weight back.

Phryne and Ben said their goodbyes and she hopped back into a taxi and headed for Cairo again. They had made good time getting to Benghazi and while Phryne was sending off her wire, the men who worked at the airfield refilled her tank and did a routine check. She hadn’t slept, but the adrenaline running through her body for the past 24 hours kept her wide awake.

By the time she was able to make it back to Cairo it was almost dusk. She couldn’t believe she was able to travel back and forth within one day. It was just over a four hour journey each way. She was determined to find Jack.

She spoke to Jack about returning for him, but they had never made plans as to where. Was he even alive? She didn’t see what happened in that gunfight earlier. It ended so quickly.

There were police swarming the hanger that she left from initially and she could see a lot of blood. She must have looked ridiculous in her evening dress and her two-day old makeup. She was determined to get any information she could from these men.

“Hello, do any of you speak English?” She called out to the men. They ignored her, she wasn’t expecting them to respond to her, dressed as she was. She kept calling out, but no one even gave her more than a curious glance in her direction. She wasn’t sure if they were more confused by her appearance or the fact that she was a female pilot. Either way, she was beginning to lose hope until a young man came up to her.

“Excuse me ma’am, I speak English.” His accent was thick. She could see kindness in his eyes and seemed too young to be corrupted just yet.

“Oh thank you! I’m looking for a man who was at this site early this morning. He was involved in the gunfight.”

“You saw the gunfight ma’am?” He asked. He did remind her of Hugh. Very open and sweet.

“Well, I didn’t see it so much as I heard it while I flew out.”

He nodded, not a bit surprised of the idea of a female pilot. Maybe there was hope for the future of this country after all.

She continued, “There was a man. He’s tall, athletic build, white, Australian accent…”

“Ah yes, I know who you are speaking of.” He opened his notes. “A Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.”  
  
“Yes! That’s him! Do you know where he is?” She was anxious. This young man had the answers that she so desperately needed.

“I am sorry, but I cannot tell you that information, ma’am.”

What was this man getting at? Why couldn’t he tell her?  She needed answers NOW!

“I would head over to the British Embassy if you want more answers” he continued.

“Is he alive?” She was able to croak out.

“I am not able to discuss the information of the case before we contact the family of the deceased.” He responded.

The deceased! That meant that someone was killed on this airfield when she left. That would explain all the blood. Was it his blood? She had to push those thoughts away for now.

“Please!” She practically yelled as the tears formed in her eyes. She softened her voice, “Please, just let me know if he’s alright.”

“Ma’am, I am sorry but I don’t have the authority to tell you anything more. I don not want to get fired.” He could tell how broken up the woman was in front of him so he quickly added. “But please, go to the British Embassy and you will be able to get more information there.”

“Thank you. I will.” She barely choked out.

He tipped his cap to her and went back to work.

Phryne didn’t care what everyone around her thought, she ran as fast as she could to find the nearest taxi and rush to the British Embassy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went through a few drafts before I was satisfied. Hopefully you are enjoying so far. I personally finished the story, but will have to go through some edits before I edit. I plan on posting chapter 12 tomorrow morning and hopefully the epilogue not too long after that. I want to get it all in before I take my trip to the Jersey shore.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Phryne find Jack? Or is it too late?

When she finally arrived, she practically threw the money at the taxi driver and ran up the steps of the British Embassy. She was practically out of breath when she reached the front desk, “Is there a Jack Robinson here?”

The gentleman behind the desk smiled up at her and said “May I ask for your name ma’am?”

“The Honorable Phryne Fisher!” She practically shouted. She didn’t like using her title, but she felt it would hasten the formalities here.

“Phryne! I didn’t expect you back so soon.” She heard a deep voice from her right side and quickly turned her head.

There he was, her Jack. He was alive, but it seemed not fully whole. His left arm was in a sling. She quickly ran to him and gave him a fierce hug.

“Ow!”

“Ooh, I’m sorry does it hurt.” She looked up at him and back down at his arm.

“Just a bit, but it was worth it.” He smiled at her.

She smiled back. She thought she would never see his smile again.

“You have to tell me everything that happened.”

“Yes, of course.” He turned towards the man at the front desk. “Is there somewhere where we can have some privacy?”

The young gentleman nodded his head and got up to show them to a lounge area off the lobby and closed the door.

“So, what happened?” Phryne asked once they were alone.

“First I have to do this.” He grabbed the back of her head with his right hand and pulled her toward him. Before their lips met, he whispered “I love you, too.”

They both felt the matching smiles they shared as they kissed. When they parted Phryne’s heart felt like it was about to burst. She really truly loved this man in front of her and she was going to have a chance to know what a future with him was going to bring.

“Now to the story of what happened after you left.”

“I heard the gunshots.” Phryne added.

“I was wondering if you did.” Jack nodded to himself. “Yes, there were gunshots. Right when you flew off I heard a car approaching and knew it could only be one person arriving at an airport at 6:30 in the morning. I quickly jumped into the hanger to find some coverage, but they were right behind me. Gunshots were going off like mad, but my eyes were only on Mostafa. He’s dead, Phryne. I shot him right below the ribs.”

Phryne’s eyes widened. She knew Jack had killed people before, but he always did his best to avoid it.

“I then shot two of the other men, but they were just leg shots. They are probably in the hospital as we speak. The other two me, one of them being Kasim, took cover in the hanger as well and I made my way as quickly as I could to the car and drove off. I did get hit in the arm while opening the door, but it was more a graze than anything else.” He motioned to his left arm.

Phryne gave him a sympathetic look. “Then what happened?”

“Well, I remembered Ben’s story about how he got into all this mess.” He continued. “I remember him telling Mostafa that he would go to the police, but Mostafa laughed, but didn’t laugh when Ben mentioned the British Embassy. So the police station was corrupt and therefore out of the question, but the British Embassy was trustworthy.”

“Smart thinking.” Phryne smiled at him, filled with pride.

“I thought so too. It ended up being very smart thinking. They took me in even though I am from the colonies” He joked. “I told them everything that happened and they sent their own men to the hanger as well as called the police. Apparently not all the police are corrupt here. They also added that if my story is true and that Mostafa is dead, that this city could see a turnaround. They arrested the other men and most likely they will be going to jail for a very long time.”

Phryne smiled up at him. “Look at you, cleaning up corruption wherever you go.”

“And the best part of it all is that the British Embassy called our hotel and was able to collect all our things so we can head home. They also collected Mr. Grant’s possessions at his hotel which was kept in storage.”

“Is that really the best part?” Phryne asked, looking up at him.

“No, this is.” With that he pulled her in for a full-on kiss. It was filled with passion and promises. Phryne had gone through every emotion in these past two days and her body was starting to feel the affects of a long 48 hours.

When they broke apart, Phryne wrapped her arms around his waist and gently pressed herself to him so that she wouldn’t hurt his arm.

“You must be exhausted.” He said to her. “I was able to have a few hours of sleep, but you’ve been running around and had two long flights.” She lazily nodded her head.

“Come on, love. They have a few rooms here where you can get a good night’s sleep.” She again just nodded her head and Jack led her up to a bedroom.

She lazily rubbed off her makeup and threw on some nightwear from her luggage. She fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow. Jack smiled at her sleeping form, turned off the light and headed to the bedroom next door. Unfortunately, they had to follow the rules of propriety while here or else he would’ve stayed with her. He planned on being there when she woke up and if she woke up before he did, he left a note of what room he was staying in with her lock pick right beside it.


	13. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a nice bit of unnecessary fluff.

The next day had provided both Phryne and Jack with a much needed rest.

Phryne didn’t wake up until past noon. Jack was sitting down reading a book surrounded by her food to last about a week.

When she woke up she spoke “Is that all for me?”

Jack lifted his head from his book and looked at all the food. “Neither of us have eaten much in the past two days and I was famished. I thought you might be as well.”

Phryne gave him a soft smile and stretched her body. “The first thing I want to do is take a long, hot bath.”

“Ah, well…there are no baths here. It’s not a hotel, but an Embassy. There is however a communal room down the hall that have a couple of showers and toilets.” 

She nodded “I’ll take what I can get. Do you wish to join me Inspector?”

Jack smirked “I’ll have to take up your invitation at another time. I wouldn’t want anyone to walk in on us.”

“As long as you know it’s an open invitation.” She then grabbed a robe and a bag filled with her makeup and other toiletries and headed down the hall.

 

* * *

 

 

When she returned, she had fixed her hair and makeup and looked like the Phryne he knew and loved. The first thing she did was walk up to him, throw her arms around his shoulders and give him a kiss.

“Good morning.”

“Good afternoon.” Jack corrected. His good arm wrapped around her waist. She was still wearing the silk robe she had adorned earlier. It felt nice beneath his fingers.

“Now, move aside. I’m starving.” She released herself from Jack and made her way towards all the food. Some toast with jam, then fruit, followed by a nicely stacked sandwich. Jack’s eyes lit up with humor while she completely disregarded the need to look like a lady as she ate. Once finished, she patted the side of her lips elegantly with a napkin acting as if she just dined at the Ritz and looked back at him. Jack had taken a seat across from her and laughed.

“What’s so amusing?” Phryne asked, bemused.

“You are.” He then reached out his hand “Come here.”

She lifted herself from her seat and sat down on his lap.

Jack rubbed her back as he held her. “We’ve had quite an adventure here in Cairo.”

Phryne kissed him on the lips and said “The adventure isn’t over just yet. I have some plans for you before we leave.” With that, she got up from his lap, turned to him and dropped her robe leaving herself completely nude. She then pulled him up by his shirt collar and led him towards the bed.

 

* * *

 

 

As they laid in each other’s embrace on the bed, carefully as to not hurt Jack’s arm, Jack asked “So where to now?”

“I’m afraid that we have one more mission before we head back to Melbourne.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you ready to head up to London and meet my mother?”

Jack feigned a look of terror, but his smile gave him away. “This might be our most dangerous mission yet.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed my fanfic debut! Thanks for all the comments and kudos. I really appreciate it.


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